Troy Parrott may have earned second chance at Tottenham after latest developments
Tottenham are expected to make a number of changes to their playing squad this summer and that has left several players in limbo.
One man who still doesn’t know where he will be playing his football next season is Irish international Troy Parrott who has spent the season on loan away from North London with Eredivisie side Excelsior.
The 22-year-old’s season finished on a damp note for the team as they were beaten by NAC Breda on aggregate in their relegation playoff clash despite winning the second leg of the tie 4-1 on Sunday (2 June).
Although it wasn’t enough to ensure that his team would avoid the drop, Parrott impressed and scored his second hat trick in three games as he gave Excelsior a slim chance of clawing back a four-goal deficit.
Will Tottenham sell Troy Parrott in the summer transfer window?
The Spurs loanee’s performance was excellent from start to finish as he completed 76 per cent of his 17 attempted passes, one of which found a teammate in the final third to create a goalscoring chance, according to Fotmob.
Parrott was a constant thorn in the Breda defence’s side as he managed to take an astonishing nine shots on goal, seven of which tested the keeper as he single-handedly attempted to drag his side into the tie.
While the Irishman’s finishing was excellent, his ability to find space in the penalty area was just as remarkable as 14 of his 39 touches in the match saw him get on the ball in opposition’s box.
Out of possession, the 22-year-old was just as effective as he won 100 per cent of his attempted tackles without giving away a single free-kick as he demonstrated the sort of workrate that would make him a natural fit in Ange Postecoglou’s side.
Throughout the entirety of the contest, Parrott wasn’t afraid to get stuck in as he entered eight ground duels and won all bar one of his aerial battles in the match, even winning his side two freekicks in the process.
When compared to other forwards in the Eredivisie this season, the Tottenham loanee places in the top 18 per cent of his peers for non-penalty xG produced per 90 minutes, according to Fbref.
On top of that, he has shown his clinical edge in the final third as he has overperformed his xG by an average of 0.03 a game. It may only be a marginal difference, but it shows that Parrott can be consistently effective in the penalty area.
Over the course of his loan spell, the Lilywhites forward has managed to score seventeen goals in all competitions for a side that has ultimately been relegated. He may not be the perfect forward, but he has genuine quality.
The suggestion from within Spurs has been that a new number nine will be a priority this summer. While that may remain the case, Parrott has shown Postecoglou that he must be handed another chance with this incredible performance.
In other Tottenham news, Daniel Levy has been told the terms for Spurs to sign Eberechi Eze during the summer transfer window
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